5 highest-paid duos in NBA ahead of the 2021-2022 season

#3 Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson - $83.7M

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with Klay Thompson.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were the best backcourt in the NBA for a while, between 2015 and 2019. Together, they have won three NBA championships for the Golden State Warriors, but Thompson's injury-plagued last two years have prevented us from seeing the 'Splash Brothers' share the court in the last two seasons.

Still, they are both being rewarded handsomely by the Golden State Warriors. Curry will be the highest-paid player in the NBA in the 2021-22 season, earning $45.7 million.

On his side, Thompson's base salary will be $37.9 million. Curry recently signed a four-year, $215 million extension with the Warriors, while Thompson signed a five-year, $190 million deal in 2019.

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#2 James Harden and Kevin Durant - $85.2M

James Harden #13 reacts with Kevin Durant.

James Harden could have had the league's highest salary had he accepted an extension worth $50 million a year from the Houston Rockets. Still, Harden remains doing well financially, as he'll earn the second-highest base salary in the 2021-22 season at $44.3 million.

With Harden traded to the Brooklyn Nets in January 2021 to form a 'superteam' with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, 'The Beard' and KD have become second in the list of highest-paid duos in the NBA.

Durant will have a base salary of $40.9 million after signing a four-year, $198 million contract extension with Brooklyn.

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#1 LeBron James and Russell Westbrook - $85.3M

Russell Westbrook #7 and LeBron James of the United States in the 2012 Olympics.

Russell Westbrook is one of the newest members of the LA Lakers, and the possibility of playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis could be huge for him at LA.

Though the team will need to find a system to keep the 'Big Three' comfortable and play well, the move to acquire Westbrook from the Washington Wizards is definitely a big one.

Westbrook came into the LA Lakers' roster with a huge salary as the superstar is still in his prime. Now, pairing his contract with LeBron James' makes them the highest-earning duo in the entire NBA, and it could pay off for the LA Lakers in June 2022.

Westbrook's base salary for the 2021-22 season is $44.2 million, while James is at $41.1 million. Their respective salaries rank third and fourth-highest in the entire NBA for the upcoming campaign.

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